Give the reader's what they want? Alternate endings

[SinderellaSin]

When I wrote my last story it was based on actual events, so I knew the ending before I started. Unfortunately not every story has its happy ending. This morning I had an anonymous response saying about the ending. Now for the sake of the series the prequel ends the way it does, but in my head I'm thinking of writing a sliding doors moment. Instead of running away from the parents, the two stand together and say what they have is right. Giving it a happy ending. I wonder what this would do with the votes.

Thoughts on alternate endings?

 

[TheRedChamber]

Honestly, its not unusual for me to end up with different endings based on beta reader feedback, but I also feel like doing multiple endings is also too much of an author's indulgence. On the other hand, this is Literotica and not the Booker prize, so if you fancy having a crack at it, why not?

 

[dirk2024]

Thoughts on alternate endings?

If you'll enjoy the creation of it, why not? It might depend on how long the different ending is as it might get bulky at the end.

For me, I usually have the ending in mind early in the process, so I'm locked in on the ending. Unless something happens along the way to veer me away from what my goal was.

 

[Britva415]

Me, I don't downvote very much but I do nope-out of stories which I just find stupid. For the author to not pick a definitive ending, that would very probably push that button for me.

Are you talking about changing the ending and re-publishing edits to the story? Or deleting the story and starting over with a different ending? Or has this question not got to do with the story in question at all? Is it about future works?

I think there would be a way to write a singular story which self-consciously presents two different endings as part of a single manuscript - really, both "endings" being part of the unitary start-to-finish narrative. I personally would have less of an objection to that than to a story which just "has alternate endings" somehow. Like, just decide and publish that one, that's my own attitude.

So, how would it be presented? How would you publish alternate endings?

 

[NaughteeDragon]

An alternate ending is just an opportunity to write a new story. The ending should be inevitable by the time you get there. So that means if you’re going to change end ing you should have to change several events throughout the story.

 

[SinderellaSin]

So i have spent the last few hours changing a real life moment that ended unhappily and giving it a happy ending. I wont publish it as part of the series but as a moment life can change. Fate shows its hand. In one moment you run and flee or you take a stand and life changes.

Playing god with my characters. If it were true I wouldn't be here. Does the reader deserve that happy ending even in literotica. Or is this me saying how fate changes lives. How one moment changes lives.

 

[Bamagan]

You might consider using a Story Game to explore alternate endings, or even alternate paths to the same ending (everybody cums and goes to sleep, yay).
My one foray into the field wasn't a game in the traditional sense. It had an opening chapter, two possible intermediate chapters, and each of those had two alternate endings to make four total outcomes; seven chapters in all. The coding for such a structure is relatively simple, since it requires only a few binary choices as opposed to a bunch of attributes that have to be recorded and looked up and displayed if, for example, the reader can re-name the characters or choose the size of their tits/dick/etc.